A different side of you
by wolf of infinity
Summary: Axel and Marluxia never got along, but an unexpected turn of events changes Axel's perspective on the man he supposedly hated, as he finds that things aren't always what they seem to be... Light Axel x Marluxia, if you squint. long One-shot, a bit angsty


_Yo! I'm back with another Kingdom Hearts fanfic! ^^ This time, it's Axel x Marluxia. Yup, you heard me. I'm not really an akuroku-lover, and somehow, I started thinking about these two together, and had to write this… ^^_

_Well, it's more friendship in this fanfic really, but it could be mild Shounen-ai if you want it to be. Choose whichever seems right to you, I guess ^^ It's a bit sad and a bit fluffy and the characters are perhaps a bit ooc, but that doesn't hurt now, does it? :3_

_Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and it's characters does not, and will never belong to me._

_So, I hope you enjoy the story! ^^ R&R, people!_

_~*~_

None of us had hearts, it was a fact most of us had come to terms with, although some, like Demyx for example, still insisted that we did. Another fact most of us agreed on was that the one who was the most heartless, was Marluxia.

The man looked so innocent with his creamy, flawless skin and soft features, a body so slim it was hard not to envy him and hair that seemed to fall in soft waves in a perfectly beautiful, unruly way, the pink shade striking and unusual, yet strangely fitting.

Yet, despite his looks, I was convinced that he was a devil. He was annoying, arrogant, cruel and calculating, always doing whatever he wanted to, paying no heed to anyone else. Because of this, most of us tended to avoid him and stay away from him.

I had disliked him from the very moment I saw him, for some reason. Those large, bright blue eyes were so… so… unreadable. It annoyed me to no end. On the rare occasion that we had to interact, it was far from civil, ranging from cruel nicknames to shouts of anger and hatred, even the faint scent of burnt plants.

One of those arguments had just ended and I was stomping down the corridor in the castle towards nowhere in particular, my skin seeming even hotter than usual, due to the fact that my fire-abilities always tended to burst up whenever I got angry.

Before I knew it, I was standing outside Vexen's lab, blinking. I'd been completely lost in my anger and hadn't watched where I was going. I was about to turn around and head back the way I came, when suddenly I heard a loud explosion from within the lab.

Despite myself, I whirled around and opened the door. That lunatic was always doing crazy experiments, and even though I didn't particularly like him, I didn't want him to end up dead or anything.

It seemed that it had sounded worse than it really was, even if a lot of the room was a complete mess. Vexen was nowhere to be seen. Walking warily inside, I stopped when I felt something drip from the roof, where an orange liquid had stained the roof tiles. Lifting my head was a mistake, though, the next drop landed directly in my mouth and I coughed.

Stumbling back, my whole throat and chest immediately burnt and ached and I gasped, feeling as though my body was melting from the inside. Giving a strangled cry, I fell onto the ground, trying desperately to breathe. Trying to call Vexen's name was impossible, and I suddenly felt very heavy, as though every fibre of my body was threatening to sink through the floor…

Giving a last, choked moan, I slipped into blissful darkness, the pain dying away along with my consciousness…

~*~

I didn't know how long I had been unconscious, but finally I opened my eyes again, blinking against the sharp light, even though my eyes quickly got used to it. A bit too quickly, even, but I paid it no notice.

Trying to move, I immediately knew something was wrong. My body wouldn't move like I wanted it to, and I blinked. The next thing I noticed was that I was too close to the floor. Trying to move, I stared as a small paw was stretched out in front of me. Moving my other hand, I saw another paw. Trying shakily to stand, I realized that I had four legs now, all covered in fiery red fur…

_What the hell is going on…?!_ My thoughts were swirling and I felt dizzy, heart racing. Taking a few, shaky, awkward steps, I glanced back, seeing that I was further down the corridor now, partially in the shadows. Walking slowly down the corridor towards the full-length mirror located further down, my movements slowly adapted to the new body physique.

The shock that greeted me as I stared at myself in the mirror was a bit too much for me, I could feel myself panicking. My green eyes stared straight back at me, but they were now located in the face of a small kitten, with deep flaming red fur, complete with whiskers, fangs and twitching, big ears.

_Holy FUCK! _I exclaimed, but the words only came out as a pathetic "meow", thin and scared. I couldn't believe this, I just couldn't believe it! There was no way even Vexen's experiments could turn me into a… kitten!

What would I do…? I couldn't communicate with anyone like this, and I didn't want anyone to take advantage of my particularly vulnerable state, getting pay back for one of my jokes or something like that. Plenty of the others would love that…

Maybe it would pass on it's own…? Maybe I should just wait and see, and then tell someone if I didn't change back…? Some of them might miss me, but I tended to disappear off for a couple of days all the time, just to return safe and sound later on, so I doubted anyone would even think twice about it.

Soft foot steps brought me out of my reverie and I tensed as I recognized the steps. As a cat, my senses were stronger, and I could make out the soft scent of flowers and rain, as the last person I needed to see at the moment, rounded the corner, heading in my direction.

He was looking at some papers in his hand, but suddenly blinked as he noticed me, eyebrows rising slightly in surprise. I stared at him in horror. Surely, with my luck, he'd be the kind of guy who would love to torture small, weak animals and enjoy seeing them squirm. I could picture it, and shuddered at the mental images.

"What do we have here…?" he squatted down, cocking his head slightly to one side as he looked at me. He looked so large from my point of view, which was rather weird, since I was usually a head taller than him.

_Stay away from me…! _I hissed, but yet again, all that came out was a meow and a pathetic hiss. Not the least bit menacing or warning. I suddenly wished I'd been turned into a venomous rattle snake or something of the sorts, in stead of a tiny, weak ball of fluff…

To my shock, a smile crossed his lips, and it was nothing like the arrogant smirk he usually wore. This was a gentle and tired smile, barely a twitch of his lips, but enough to soften those blue eyes of his.

"How did you get in here, hm?" he asked softly, voice quiet and wondering. "Surely, you must be lost; this isn't a place for a kitten to be wandering the halls alone."

Before I knew what had happened, he'd reached forward and gently scooped me into his hands, holding me carefully, securely so that I wouldn't fall, but softly enough that it wouldn't be uncomfortable.

I tried to hiss again, but I guess I was too surprised, because I could only stare at him, shocked at this new side of the man I thought I knew. He continued on his way down the crossing corridor, and now that he held me up, I could get a bit better overview and figure out where we were.

How I had come that far down the corridor was a mystery, though.

After walking for a while, I realized that we were nearing Marluxia's rooms. As cold and neutral the rest of the castle was, with it's many corridors and hall ways, each of us had our own rooms, with a bed room, a bathroom, a small living room and a kitchen corner. It was our own, meaning we could change it as much as we wanted to.

For some reason I had pictured Marluxia's quarters to be bright pink. What met me was a well-organized, and – I begrudgingly had to admit – pretty cosy. The living room held a large book shelf with many books. The walls were a pale blue shade, while the wooden, polished floor had carpets in soft blue shades as well. The interior was simple and neat, and not to mention clean.

"You thirsty?" I blinked as I realized he was talking to me, one hand softly petting my new fur. It felt much better than I would ever admit. I was feeling kind of thirsty, when I started thinking about it. A bit hungry too.

He put me down on the floor, and I didn't run of, knowing that I really had no where to go. In stead, I watched anxiously as he had water in a bowl for me, partially expecting him to have arsenic or weed killer or something in it…

"There you go," he sat the bowl down in front of me, and I watched him warily before slowly starting to drink, licking it with my tongue, which strangely was fairly easy with a tongue like this.

"Wonder what someone like you would eat…" Marluxia seemed to think aloud and headed to the fridge, scanning it before finding some left over food. Fish. The scent seemed to fill my nose and I felt hungry all of the sudden, giving a meow despite myself.

"I guess you'd like to have this, then?" Marluxia chuckled, putting it in another bowl, cutting it into pieces I'd be able to consume with unusual care. Putting it down in front of me, I immediately started eating it. Never before had fish tasted this good, my instincts and genes had to be completely altered.

"Heh, you have the same eyes as him…" the words were so quiet, as though Marluxia mostly said them to himself, but my keen hearing picked up the words and I looked up at him, blinking when I saw the wistful smile resting on his lips, not quite reaching his eyes.

"What the heck am I saying…" he chuckled at himself, but the sound sounded strangely off to my ears. Standing, he walked over to his bath room, heading inside. I considered trying to escape, but figured it was no use. He'd closed the door behind him, after all.

Before long, I heard water running. Finishing the food, I decided to stay there until I had a chance to get away. He didn't seem to be the cruel beating-kittens-type of guy after all, despite what I had expected. I walked over and jumped up on the soft couch, lying down there.

The water had stopped running, but he didn't come out. I didn't know exactly how long I lay there, thinking about all and nothing, but after a while, I started to feel a nagging thought pressing up in my mind. Why hadn't he come out yet…? Surely, no man would take so long in the bath room…?

Giving an inward sigh, I leapt down from the couch and slowly headed over to the bath room, where a small opening was, due to the fact that he hadn't closed the door entirely. Peeking inside, I couldn't see him anywhere.

Walking a bit further in, however, I finally found him and blinked in surprise. Marluxia was in the bath tub, resting his head on the edge, pink hair falling in soft, damp waves into his face. His eyes were closed, and he looked paler, yet his cheeks were flushed, as though he had a fever, or perhaps it was from the warm water.

Cocking my head a bit to the side, I felt an annoying stab of concern. He hadn't fainted or something, had he?! I'd heard about people who had drowned while bathing because they lost consciousness…

_Why the hell is he just lying there…? Oi, idiot, are you dead?! _I thought about meowing, but couldn't make a sound. Then suddenly I noticed the soft trails going from his eyes and down his cheeks, making his dark, long eyelashes shimmer slightly.

Was he… crying…?

Suddenly he opened his eyes, and I could see that they were indeed shimmering with tears. I'd spent so long hating his guts, that I had come to think of him as some sort of heartless, unfeeling idiot. Now, however, I could see that he actually did feel. It unnerved me.

"Oh… finished your food?" I felt my heart jump when he spoke to me, and I realized he'd seen me. He smiled softly, although the smile did nothing to stop his tears.

_Why are you crying, you idiot…?_ I said, although it only came out as a small, questioning "meow", like expected.

"I probably look like a real mess, huh… he chuckled sadly, drying of his cheeks in a futile manner. "Silly me… sitting here, crying like a baby… you must think I'm ridiculous, huh…" I could feel my hatred for him crumbling softly, as I listened to that sad chuckle.

Then he moved to get up, and I swallowed, wanting to look away, but being too late. It felt like my heart stopped, as he rose out of the water and I got a full view of his revealed body, for the first time.

His chest and arms were covered in scars. Long scars, smaller scars, large scars, and thin scars. It was like each of them told a story that he didn't want to be told. He was also far too thin… For some reason, I'd pictured him with the perfect body, a body that his ego was proud of.

Now, I realized that he'd always hidden away in some way or another, under large sweaters and shirts…

My eyes wandered unwillingly further down, but I quickly looked away, feeling ashamed of myself, for the first time since I became a nobody. What right did I have to stare at him like this, he didn't want anyone to see him like this, and I was invading his personal space.

I heard shuffling, and when I dared to look up again, he's dried himself off and put on a pair of soft sweat pants and a deep blue sweater that seemed too big on his suddenly small frame.

He combed his hair with his hand, and I could see that his expression was spiteful as he looked at himself in the mirror.

Then he turned away, giving me sad look before bending down and picking me up. I couldn't find strength to fight against him, and let him carry me out to the living room, where he sat down on the couch, petting me gently as I lay on his lap. His hands were warm and careful as they stroked my fur.

I was shocked to hear the purr emitting from my throat as I relaxed despite myself. He smiled absently.

"At least someone appreciates me, then…" he murmured.

_He must be sick or something, acting like this… _I thought.

"You have somewhere you need to be, kitten?" he wondered aloud, looking at me.

_Not really…_

"Maybe you could stay here for a while. Can't have you getting lost or worse, killed, wandering through these halls…" he looked thoughtful.

A plan suddenly struck me. Maybe this would be a perfect opportunity to learn a bit more about the pink-haired enigma… I thought I had him figured out, but this was far from the Marluxia I knew and despised…

A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts and I heard him sigh as he put me down on the couch, standing. He took a deep breath and his expression changed into the arrogant, cold one I'd gotten used to.

"Time to put on the mask again…" he muttered, so quietly I barely heard him, before heading over to the door, opening it.

"You have a mission," Xigbar's words were short and hard, I could hear.

"Again?" Marluxia's voice was cold, but I could see the way his shoulders tensed slightly. He'd clearly just been on a mission, and it had worn him out, if the tears were anything to go by.

"Superior's orders. Seems Axel disappeared again, so he said to have you do it,"

A pang of guilt shot through me at this.

"That idiot… I always have to do his work… Damn him," Marluxia growled, and I saw Xigbar take a step away at the growl.

"Well, he said it was pretty urgent," was his last words before he quickly made a portal and disappeared.

Marluxia closed the door and looked at the papers in his hand.

"Where have you gone now, you fool…" he whispered to himself before heading over to the bed room. "Seems I have to step out for a bit, but you can stay here, kitten," he said. He glanced at me, but in stead of the anger I expected to be in his eyes, a sad and broken expression was there instead.

When he came out of his room again, he'd changed into his organization cloak. Quickly having food and water in separate bowls for me, he gave me a last pet before heading out, closing the door behind him.

I stared after him for a while, feeling very disgusted with myself. Was it Marluxia who always took the missions for me whenever I disappeared…?

~*~

I kept lying on the couch, not really doing anything, and possibly sleeping a bit. Hours went by, and had passed midnight a while ago. Finally, I heard the door open and looked up. The meow died in my throat as I stared at him.

He managed to get inside, closing the door behind him, before suddenly sinking to the floor, coughing into his hand. He looked paler than ever, his cloak was dirty and torn at some parts, and he had some minor cuts on his face.

I leapt of the couch, running over to him. He was trembling slightly, as though he was cold, and his cheeks were flushed again, feverishly.

_What happened to you…?! Oi, are you sick?_ The meows that came in stead of my words must have sounded somewhat frantic, because he looked down at me through glazed eyes.

"I'm okay, just a bit… tired…" he murmured, trying to get up, only to break into a new coughing fit, falling to the floor with a soft thud, eyebrows furrowing as if in pain.

_Oi! Marluxia, what the hell is going on?! Didn't know nobodies could get sick… _I walked over to his head and could feel the heat emitting from him as he breathed in shallow wheezes.

He'd looked a bit ill before the mission, it must have made it worse… A new wave of guilt shot through me and I desperately tried to think of something I could do to help him. In my current state, however, there was frighteningly little I could do.

"A-Axel…" the soft murmur startled me, and for a moment I was terrified that he'd somehow figured out who I was. Looking at him, however, I saw that he had slipped into unconsciousness. Why would he say my name in his sleep…?

I ran over to the couch and tried to bite an end of the blanket lying there so that I could pull it with me over to him. It was useless, even the blanket was too heavy for me to move. Cursing the weak body I'd been trapped in, I ran back to him.

There had to be a way I could get someone over to help him…! Heading over to his pocket, I tried to get his cell phone out. It took a while, but finally I managed to get it out and with some trouble, I managed to flip it open.

Pushing my paws at the right buttons, I somehow managed to write a message. It was short and urgent, and I prayed that it would be enough.

'Help'. I looked through the numbers and tried to figure out who would be best to call… Trying to think of someone who would at least try to help him voluntarily, I felt my heart sink. It suddenly struck me that very few in the castle liked Marluxia and would go out of their way to help him…

Then one name suddenly stuck out and I felt a tiny flicker of hope. Demyx! Surely Demyx, who treated everyone like friends and did his best to help anyone who needed it, would come! Pushing 'send', I could only hope that he wasn't on a mission.

I sat by Marluxia's side, listening to his ragged breathing and coughing as I waited. It seemed like an eternity, but then suddenly, I heard running steps and there was a frantic knock on the door.

"Marluxia?! Marly, you there?!" I heard Demyx's voice, and just like I'd expected, it was laced with concern.

_Hurry up and come in, Demyx, he can't answer you right now! _I meowed as loudly as I could, hoping he'd get the message. He did, the door opened and he peeked inside, only to gasp and open the door fully as he ran over to the fallen nobody.

"Marly!" he fell to his knees next to him, face serious and worried as he took in the pale shade of his skin and the laboured gasps for air. Then his eyes fell on the cell phone and then me and he blinked.

"A kitten…? You sent the message?" he said, clearly surprised. I meowed. He didn't linger upon that, luckily, and put one arm around Marluxia's shoulders and one under his knees, he somehow managed to lift the other man into his arms, blinking in surprise. Maybe Marluxia was lighter than he looked.

Demyx carried him over to the bed room where he put him down on the bed, quickly putting his hand against his forehead, only to gasp softly.

"He's burning up…!" he murmured and headed out of the room, soon after coming back with a bowl with cold water and a cloth that he soaked and put on Marluxia's forehead in order to keep the fever down.

"Marluxia? Marluxia, can you hear me?" he tried to wake the other. At first, there was no response, but then Marluxia gave a soft moan and opened his eyes slowly, blinking as if to clear his vision. They were glazed with fever.

"D-Demyx…?" he sounded surprised and confused, but was too exhausted to put up the usual cold façade. "W-what's… going on…?"

"I got a…"

_No, don't say it…! _I meowed, breaking him of. He glanced at me with confusion before nodding almost unnoticeably.

"I came over to see if you were back from your mission, and found you collapsed on the floor," he said.

"Collapsed…?" Marluxia seemed to realize he was now on his bed and looked surprised.

"Yeah, you seem to be sick, you have a horrible fever. How are you feeling, does it hurt?"

"I feel… very tired… cold…"

"You have to stay in bed for a while, and rest up. I think it's just a bad cold, I'll get you some medicine, ok?" Demyx gave a small smile and stood. "Do you want anything else?" he asked. "Hungry? I could make you some soup if you like…"

"Why… are you doing this…?" Marluxia seemed genuinely confused now.

"Because I want to help. I don't think you're as bad a person as everyone think. It's just a mask, right…?" Demyx gave a smile and headed out before Marluxia could reply. I watched him stare after Demyx in shock and was impressed at the way Demyx had handled the situation. He really was the kindest of us, that kid. I doubted there was any evil in him at all.

"You're still here…" I blinked and looked at him, seeing him eye me tiredly. "It's just that… no one seems to stay… I guess… they have no reason to either… I'm not a very likeable person, am I…?" he coughed violently, sitting up so that he could breathe somewhat easier through the coughs. Soon steps could be heard and Demyx came back with a glass of water and some pills, looking worried.

"That doesn't sound too good, Marly… Here," he handed him the pills and Marluxia gave a small nod of thanks, swallowing the pills with water between coughs. Demyx hesitated, but then seemed to decide, moving his hand to rub Marluxia's back as he coughed.

"I'm… sorry… nothing but trouble, am I…" the pale man murmured quietly.

"Not at all. Everyone gets sick sometimes," Demyx smiled. "I'll go make you some soup, ok?"

"You don't have to do this, Demyx, I am fi…" breaking of into another coughing fit, he was broken of.

"I want to. No one should have to be alone when they're sick." Demyx gave another of those innocent, kind smiles of his and I was yet again amazed. I could tell Marluxia was too, and after a small hesitation, he gave a small, almost shy smile.

"Thank you…" the words were candid and appreciative, and Demyx smiled brightly back, heading out to make the soup. He turned in the door way, however. "Since when did you have a cat, by the way? It's very cute."

"Found it in the corridor, strangely…" Marluxia replied sheepishly, before leaning back on the pillows.

"It has the same eyes as Axel…"

"It does…"

_No wonder… _I thought to myself, curling up at the foot of the bed, content to watch the pink-haired man as his eyes drifted shut and he fell into a light, restless sleep.

~*~

Surprisingly, Demyx stayed throughout the whole night, watching over the feverish man, changing the damp cloth whenever it was needed, and murmuring soft words of comfort whenever one of his coughing fits would emerge again.

He seemed to have nightmares, and I couldn't sleep, finding myself sitting by his feet all night, watching him and hoping that he'd be fine soon. It surprised me that I cared so much, but I had thought about it a lot the last hours.

Maybe I hadn't made an effort in getting to know him…? When I thought about it, I was always starting fights with him, and I'd never stopped once to consider that he might not be as bad as he seemed.

I felt disgusted at myself. If anyone knew about putting on masks, it was me. Why hadn't I noticed that he was doing exactly the same…?

"Axel…" I looked up as he once again whispered my name in his sleep. He'd been doing that several times now, and it confused me. Why would he murmur my name…? Was he having nightmares about me? Probably one where I treated him badly. I usually did, after all. Always had.

"You're really not as bad as people say you are… You're probably lonely, huh…" Demyx murmured sadly. Looking at him, I could tell that he was concerned and sad. It was just how that kid was; he was overly compassionate. But I realized that it wasn't such a bad thing.

"I heard you and Axel fight today too… you always do that… And now he's gone again. He always was a mystery, wasn't he… but I know you care about him."

I found myself shocked to hear this. What was Demyx talking about…? He couldn't possibly care about me, I'd never been nice to him. Never tried to have a civilised conversation. Never tried giving him as much as a smile as we passed in the hall ways.

_He never did either, though… _a voice in the back of my mind argued. Thinking back at the countless fights we'd have, however, I suddenly saw him in a different light. That unreadable expression in his eyes was suddenly clear as day in my memory.

Pain, sadness, loneliness and many other feelings seemed to fill them, and I realized that they never had been unreadable. I simply didn't try to read them… Didn't bother trying to see him for anything but the despicable man I had made him to be in my mind.

_Shit… I'm sorry, Marluxia… I'm really sorry… _I got up, suddenly feeling too guilty to stay. Demyx looked at me as I leapt of the bed and ran out the door.

_I can't stay here like this… I can't remain a kitten in his care forever! I want to give it another chance! Damn it, I have to give it a try! _My thoughts swirled wildly as I noticed a small slip in the door. It hadn't been open before, had it…?

I ran outside and down the corridor, heading towards Vexen's lab. As I neared it, however, a burning pain started building up inside of me again, and I gave a pained meow in surprise as I fell. My body was melting…

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think… and finally my mind gave in to the darkness that once again took over my vision…

~*~

"What happened to him…?"

"Oi… Axel! You all right, mate?"

I moaned, opening my eyes and blinking as I saw Xigbar and Luxord crouched down next to me. They seemed somewhat smaller again. With a surprised gasp, I sat up abruptly, looking around.

I was back in my own body…!

"The hell happened to you? Lying here in the corridor unconscious…" Xigbar looked at me with a raised eyebrow, his piercing golden eye boring into my own.

"I…" My memories suddenly flooded back and I stood quickly, a bit dizzy but otherwise fine. "Y-yeah, I'm fine…"

"You been drinking or something?" Luxord asked, sounding a bit concerned.

"Uh… can't remember…"

"You know you don't hold your alcohol very well, Axe," Xigbar sighed and I decided to go along with it.

"Yeah… must have slipped my mind… listen, I… uh… I got to go." I quickly turned around and headed of down the corridor, realizing that I once again was a completely other place than where I'd fallen over earlier.

I picked up speed until I was running down the corridor. Reaching Marluxia's rooms however, I slowed down and eventually stopped outside the door. What would I say…? Just barge in and beg him to be friends with me…?

Besides, he was sick… I shouldn't just disrupt him when he was like that… He was probably furious with me, and for a good reason, I felt awful.

Suddenly the door opened and someone crashed into me. I instinctively reached out steadying the person before it fell and met with Demyx's cerulean eyes, wide with surprise.

"Axel!" he exclaimed.

"Hey…"

"Where did you go? You disappeared of again all of the sudden…"

"I… uh… something came up…"

Demyx eyed me with a serious expression and I couldn't stop the question on my tongue.

"How is he…?"

"Huh?"

"I heard he was sick…" I quickly said.

"Um, yeah… I found him collapsed on the floor after a mission… well, it was your mission, actually… but you weren't here, so…" I could have sworn he looked a little annoyed at this, and felt more guilty.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't choose to go off, this time…?" I asked meekly. He seemed to notice the hesitant, serious tone of my usually cheerful, annoyingly cocky voice.

"I might… why do you care if he's sick, though… You two are always at each other's throats…"

"I need to speak with him… but I guess that should wait till he's better…" I turned to leave but Demyx grabbed my arm.

"Stay with him, Axel… Believe it or not, but… he need you to be there right now, not me."

I stared at the kid with shock, but he gave me a smile and gently but firmly pushed me inside.

"I trust you to take care of him well, ok?" I opened my mouth to reply, but he didn't give me a chance, closing the door behind him.

My feet seemed to be glued to the floor, but finally I took a deep breath and headed over to the bed room where Marluxia was. I entered, standing by the bed and looking at his sleeping form, still plagued with nightmares.

"Marluxia…" his name slipped across my lips, so softly that I nearly thought I'd just said it in my mind.

"Axel…?" he opened his eyes slowly, and looked at me, confusion, shock clear in those expressive, deep depths. He tried to sit up, and struggled to put the mask on. "Come to fight, have you…?" he asked warily, coughing.

Something twisted inside me and before I could stop myself, I walked over and saw him tense as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, Marluxia… I've been a real idiot, haven't I…?" I murmured.

"What are you…"

"I'm so sorry… for the way I've been acting… the way I've been provoking fights all the time… the way I developed this hatred for you… I'm such an idiot…"

I was afraid to meet his eyes, didn't dare to look up.

"You're… lonely aren't you…" I couldn't stop the words from escaping my lips. I heard him gasp softly and looked up. The mask was broken now, like he didn't have enough strength to keep it up.

"I…"

"Can we… if possible… try again? Start over again? I don't want to go one like this…"

He didn't reply, and I felt my heart sink.

"If you don't want to, I understand, though. Sorry for even thinking you might forgive me…" I made a move to stand, but felt a hand around my wrist, holding me back. Blinking, I turned to look at him.

"Don't go… Please… don't go…" He was trembling, and tears were shimmering in his eyes as he met mine in a locking gaze. "There's nothing to forgive… I'm happy you came…"

We stared at each other for a moment, and I couldn't bare the expression in his eyes any longer. It was like an abandoned child, begging for someone to hold his hand and merely stay by his side.

Instinctively, I bent forward and pulled him into an embrace, holding him tightly.

"I won't, Marluxia… I'll stay… for as long as you want me to." I felt his arms move around me, holding me tightly as he buried his face in my shoulder, melting into my embrace.

"Start over again…?"

"Yeah, a fresh start. A friendship, if you want…" I found myself running my hand over his hair softly and I could hear the smile in his voice at his next words and I felt a relieved tear slide down my cheek.

"Yeah… I'd like that…"

_~*~_

_Owari_

_~*~_


End file.
